Uganda Public Workers Resist New Dress Code

乌干达政府雇员抗拒新着装要求

Ugandans are reacting to new clothing requirements for government employees.

乌干达人正在对于政府雇员的新着装要求做出反应。

Women in a government job are no longer permitted to wear a short skirt or large earrings. And male civil servants must wear a jacket and necktie in the office.

政府工作中的女性员工不允许穿短裙或者是戴夸张的耳饰。甚至男性公务员在办公室必须穿夹克戴领带。

The Ministry of Public Service released the requirements on “decent dressing” last week. The new rules have angered some civil servants.

上周，公共服务部门公布了“得体着装”要求。新规定已经激怒了公务员。

Women activists say the rules get Ugandans thinking about things other than the real issues facing the country. Perry Aritua is head of the Women’s Democracy Network.

女性积极分子表示：该规定使得乌干达人开始认真考虑别的事情而不是国家真正面临的议题。

“When a girl is dressed a certain way, that doesn’t mean she’s calling for your attention. Let us focus on the real issues that Ugandans are grappling with -- the theft of our public resources, the inefficiency in service delivery, the absenteeism in public service, the capacity needs that public service has.”

“当女孩穿成某种样子的时候，并不意味着她在吸引注意力。让我们将焦点关注在乌干达人正在努力克服的议题上——公共资源的威胁、低效率的服务、公共服务的缺失，这种能力也是公共服务所拥有的。”

The directive bars female public employees from wearing tight clothing, open-toed shoes and skirts or dresses above the knees. Bright-colored nail polish, hair extensions and “exaggerated make-up” are also on the banned list.

指导建议酒吧女性公共服务人员需要穿的紧身衣、露趾鞋和短裙子，或者是长度在膝盖以上的裙子。明亮颜色的指甲油、接发和“夸张的妆容”也是被禁止的。

Male public servants must wear dark pants but they cannot be too tight around the legs. And men may only wear closed-toe black or brown shoes.

Adah Muwanga is the human resource manager at the Ministry of Public Service.

男性公共服务人员必须穿黑色的裤子，但不是紧身裤。并且男性需要并且仅可以穿不露趾的黑色或者是棕色鞋子。

“People in Uganda have a perception of what a public officer should look like and this is the image we are trying to protect and preserve. We are saying not above the knee, and for one reason, above the knee you know what it means, it can also [be] tantamount to sexual harassment, because when you sit you are exposing your thighs, which is not generally accepted and it can distract others from work.”

乌干达人对于公共官员的形象是有自己的看法的。并且那是我们需要保护和维持的形象。我们表示不接受膝盖以上的长度是有理由的。膝盖以上的长度就相当于性骚扰了。因为当你坐下的时候，它揭露了你不被接受的东西并且它能够分散你工作的注意力。

Rights groups say earlier guidance to civil servants was enough. A 2010 public order required clothing to be neat and practical for one’s job.

人权组织表示：早期公务员指导就足够了。2010年公共令要求着装需整洁并且适应工作。

Ugandans have written to local newspapers about the new rules. One lawyer noted that “rights aren’t taken away overnight. They are taken away in small bits.”

乌干达人已经在最新一期的当地报纸上发布了新政。有律师指出：“人权在彻夜间被剥夺。”他们在很小的方面被剥夺了人权。

A reporter working for VOA spoke to a government employee who did not want to tell her name.

不想被提起名字的VOA记者对政府喊话。

“Me I think, my bright nails cannot distract someone, so the government should not discuss about that.”

“我认为，我美丽的指甲油并不会吸引某些人，所以政府不应该讨论这些问题。”

The punishments for disobeying the new rules are unclear. The order said violations would be reported to the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Public Service.

违反新规定的惩罚并不是那么清晰。该令表示：违反规定应该报告给公共服部部门的常务书记。

I’m Jonathan Evans.

乔纳森·伊文斯报道。

Ugandans are reacting to new clothing requirements for government employees.

Women in a government job are no longer permitted to wear a short skirt or large earrings. And male civil servants must wear a jacket and necktie in the office.

The Ministry of Public Service released the requirements on “decent dressing” last week. The new rules have angered some civil servants.

Women activists say the rules get Ugandans thinking about things other than the real issues facing the country. Perry Aritua is head of the Women’s Democracy Network.

“When a girl is dressed a certain way, that doesn’t mean she’s calling for your attention. Let us focus on the real issues that Ugandans are grappling with -- the theft of our public resources, the inefficiency in service delivery, the absenteeism in public service, the capacity needs that public service has.”

The directive bars female public employees from wearing tight clothing, open-toed shoes and skirts or dresses above the knees. Bright-colored nail polish, hair extensions and “exaggerated make-up” are also on the banned list.

Male public servants must wear dark pants but they cannot be too tight around the legs. And men may only wear closed-toe black or brown shoes.

Adah Muwanga is the human resource manager at the Ministry of Public Service.

“People in Uganda have a perception of what a public officer should look like and this is the image we are trying to protect and preserve. We are saying not above the knee, and for one reason, above the knee you know what it means, it can also [be] tantamount to sexual harassment, because when you sit you are exposing your thighs, which is not generally accepted and it can distract others from work.”

Rights groups say earlier guidance to civil servants was enough. A 2010 public order required clothing to be neat and practical for one’s job.

Ugandans have written to local newspapers about the new rules. One lawyer noted that “rights aren’t taken away overnight. They are taken away in small bits.”

A reporter working for VOA spoke to a government employee who did not want to tell her name.

“Me I think, my bright nails cannot distract someone, so the government should not discuss about that.”

The punishments for disobeying the new rules are unclear. The order said violations would be reported to the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Public Service.

I’m Jonathan Evans.

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Words in This Story

grapple – v. to try to solve a problem; to deal with a problem (usually + with)

inefficiency – n. the lack of ability to do something or produce something without wasting materials, time, or energy; the quality or state of being inefficient

capacity – n. the ability to do something; a mental, emotional or physical ability

exaggerate – v. to make (something) larger or greater than normal

perception – n. the way you think about or understand someone or something

thigh – n. the part of your leg that is above the knee

distract – v. to cause (someone) to stop thinking about or paying attention to someone or something and to think about or pay attention to someone or something else instead

bit – n. small steps or amounts